Spin-stabilized artillery munitions were originally designed to provide precise ballistic fire on long-range targets. Today, the challenge is to use these ballistic munitions in urban operations where significantly higher levels of precision are required to minimize collateral damage. One strategy is to retrofit these munitions with some level of low-cost precision. Unique challenges arise when munitions designed to be ballistically precise are guided. Projectile flight is often stabilized by a high spin rate, which induces complex dynamics. Flight mechanics are further aggravated by adding a control mechanism. The goal of this study was to provide a fundamental understanding of various control mechanism strategies for spin-stabilized projectiles. Flight control systems were developed and executed in a six-degree-of-freedom simulation. Formulating a generalized model of a control mechanism allowed us to investigate parameters such as control force magnitude, control axial location, control lift-to-drag ratio, and control force duration for a spin-stabilized projectile. Results show that control authority linearly relates to control force magnitude. Maximal control authority was obtained by placing the control mechanism at the rear of the projectile. The variation with axial location was also determined since these results are valuable, for instance, when the control is unable to be located near the projectile base. A lower lift-to-drag ratio of the control mechanism decreased control authority and maximum range. Lastly, the trade-offs associated with continuous and pulsed flight control systems were quantified. Physical explanations for the simulation results are provided.
Control mechanism strategies for spin-stabilized projectiles
2010-09-01
13 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Control mechanism strategies for spin-stabilized projectiles
Tema Archiv | 2010
|Control mechanism strategies for spin-stabilized projectiles
Online Contents | 2010
|Control Mechanism Strategies for Spin-Stabilized Projectiles
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2009
|